The Washington Post has a review of the new book by Niall Ferguson, "Civilization: The West and the Rest". Ferguson is a noted historian and professor at Harvard. In explaining the success of England and most of Europe post 1500, the reviewer cites Fergueson's six "institutional arrangements":
- "Competition, meaning a decentralization of power among nations and within them, necessary to create the right environment for capitalism
- Science, whose discoveries laid the basis not only for the Industrial Revolution but also for overwhelming military advantage
- Property rights, which provided a framework for the rule of law and laid the foundation for shared political and economic power
- Medicine, which led to a dramatic rise in life expectancy
- A consumer focus to economic life that fueled demand for modern industrial products
- A work ethic that provided a moral framework for savings, investment and hard toil"
These six themes also explain the success of the U.S.
It would be nice if U.S. politicians from both parties addressed these issues in the upcoming elections. Then the discussion would be on the role of states rights (1), smaller government (1) the environment (2), how to share economic and political power (3), the future of medicine (4) and individual responsibility (5,6). For example, "how to share economic and political power" might be a better discussion than budget deficits, wealth inequality and superpacs. "The future of medicine" might lead to a better discussion of healthcare. A discussion of states rights might allow us to address certain issues at the local level where consensus might more easily be found, such as abortion, same sex marriage and education .
I found the book review on Arts & Letters Daily.
